About

About

Welcome to LuchaFit! We're here to provide educational insight and empowerment to female athletes from all walks of life. There is no better time than now for girls and women everywhere to educate themselves about their mind, bodies, health, and sport. We are proud and confident in the things we can be and do. Join the LuchaFit Family to learn about how to optimize yourself physically and mentally!

What does LuchaFit mean?

In Spanish, "Lucha" has a few meanings. #1: To struggle#2: To fight#3: To wrestle

These three definitions embody what we're about. Struggling with aspects of life and fighting to persevere. The third definition, wrestling, is the root of it all. This is the sport that taught me countless life lessons of struggle, and fighting to overcome. I'm here to pass on these lessons and give you the tools that have worked for me over the years of training and learning.

Here is a little about who I am and why I love sharing with you guys!

My name is Katherine Shai (Fulp-Allen), and I am passionate about educating girls and women on the lessons I've learned as a professional athlete. I found that the skills I acquired as an athlete have transferred into every aspect of my life. I am a 5x National Team Member, 2x Olympic Team Alternate, and University World Champion for Team USA in wrestling.

I have had the opportunity to travel the world and train for Team USA as a Resident Athlete at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO for two Olympic Quadrants. There, I was able to surround myself with fellow professionals where I learned all I could about becoming the best athlete and the best version of myself.

The road to making an Olympic Team is a treacherous one, filled with twists, turns, highs, and lows. My journey has been no exception. Over the years of training and competing I have been fortunate to see a lot of success in the sport, but not without having to learn tough lessons. All this has made me the woman, athlete, and coach that I am today.

I love being involved and giving back to the wrestling community. I often volunteer my time teaching wrestling, and I am a board member for the AMAZING non-profit WRESTLE LIKE A GIRL. Through my time mentoring and coaching young girls, I started noticing I was being asked a lot of the same questions. Many of these questions also apply not only wrestlers, but most athletes. It was then I found a huge lack in resources for young female wrestlers and athletes to learn how to perform at a high level through exercise, nutrition, travel tips, and more.

I am a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and am thrilled to share all I have learned with others!

I had to opportunity as a young girl to dream BIG. Having learned early on from my dad, who reached the pinnacle for wrestlers THREE TIMES as a 3x Olympian. I had endless amounts of wrestling and athlete knowledge at my fingertips. The support and knowledge from my family help me reach another level. Everyone deserves the opportunity to learn the secret sauce of what makes a good athlete. This only heightens the bar for performance overall.

This is where blogging for my original site, Fulp-Allen Wrestling, needed to evolve into LuchaFit. A place for all women to find answers to their questions about a fit life from professional level athletes. It combines my passion for wrestling, fitness, and the physical and mental gymnastics our bodies perform.

My Family:

The Fulp-Allen Family's involvement in wrestling started with Lee Allen, a 1956, 1960, and 1980 Olympian. My family has been involved in women's wrestling since the 1980's, when my father, Lee created the first all female World Team Trials tournament at Vallejo High School in California. Since then, we have been involved at every level of female wrestling, competition, coaching, and advocacy.

My sister Sara Bahoura is a 7x National Team Member, 2x Olympic Team Alternate (2004 and 2008), and University World Silver Medalist. She is now the Women's Director for Team Virginia Women's Wrestling. She is an integral part of helping make LuchaFIT tick, and has been blogging since the early Fulp-Allen Wrestling days! She's an amazing advocate for women's wrestling and has inspired girls everywhere to try out wrestling!

My mother Joan Fulp was inducted into the California chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame for Lifetime of Service Award May 2017. She is on the USAW Girls High School Sanctioning Resource Committee working to help support the 44 states without girls high school state championships. Joan was the head women’s gymnastics coach at Central Michigan University for three years before marrying my father and moving to California. A North Carolina native, she has devoted herself to supporting wrestling in many avenues: Flexibility and gymnastics consultant, high school coach, assistant coach at Menlo College, and working with the Alumni and Sanctioning committees for USA Wrestling.

LuchaFit

My name is Katherine Shai, I am a 5x national team member and 2x Olympic Alternate for Team USA in the sport of wrestling. My love and experience for the sport has lead me to teaching YOU all I have learned through years of competing. Take a look around!